Ghana Maternal and Child Health Project Concludes with Strong Commitment to Sustainability
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2026.7.16
The project “Promotion of Maternal, Newborn and Child Health through Community Empowerment in Upper Manya Krobo District, Eastern Region, Ghana” supported by Shionogi & Co., Ltd., concluded on 31 May 2026 after three years of implementation.
To mark its completion, a Dissemination Workshop was held on 5 May 2026 in Asesewa, the capital of Upper Manya Krobo District, bringing together 123 participants, including Regional and District representatives, Community Health Management Committee (CHMC) members, local leaders, health staff, community health volunteers, and over-the-counter medicine sellers. The workshop offered an opportunity to reflect on achievements, share lessons learned, and discuss field experiences.
One of the most encouraging outcomes highlighted during the workshop was the strong commitment among local stakeholders to sustain and expand the project’s activities beyond its completion. The District Health Directorate announced plans to continue using the monitoring and supervision tools introduced through the project and to extend key activities to two additional sub-districts that were not originally covered.
This commitment reflects the project’s emphasis on sustainability from the outset. Over the past three years, local stakeholders have worked together to strengthen community health systems, build capacity, and establish mechanisms that communities can maintain on their own. As the project comes to an end, these efforts continue to take root, ensuring that its impact will be carried forward by the communities it served.
The Upper Manya Krobo District Director of Health Services expressing commitment to sustaining and expanding the project activities beyond the project period.
A Community Health Management Committee (CHMC) member sharing the importance of proper financial management while presenting the committee’s accounting records.
Presenting the completed Maternity Waiting House Operations and Management Handbook to a midwife at Akateng Health Centre.
The Upper Manya Krobo District Director of Health Services and a JOICFP staff member signing the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
On 29 May, JOICFP and the District Health Directorate signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to support the continuation and further development of key activities introduced through the project. The systems, knowledge, and experiences built over the past three years are expected to be sustained through local ownership and further strengthened in the years ahead.
We will share more details on the achievements of this three-year project in a future article. In the meantime, please take a look at the newly published Maternity Waiting House Operations and Management Handbook, which documents the experience of establishing and operating Ghana’s first Maternity Waiting House at Akateng Health Centre, as well as a video showcasing the project’s three-year journey.
Ghana’s First Operations and Management Handbook of Maternity Waiting House, based on the experiences from the Akateng Health Center
